Helping Distance Education Students Feel Part of the University

Athabasca University (AU) have an introductory course for new students, before starting their first regular course. This provides an overview of not only how the e-learning system (Moodle) works, but issues such as plagiarism. AU also have a social media platform called "The Landing" for students, which looks lively and might be worth emulating at other universities. This would help counter some of the isolation which  part time and distance students, in particular, feel. The Athabasca systesm are described in: 

Virtual Platforms at Athabasca University by Rory McGreal, Jon Dron & Evelyn Ellerman,  2012 IDRC Canadian Learning Forum on Virtual Platforms, Knowledge Management and International Development. Winnipeg, February 7-8, 2012. URL: http://idl-bnc.idrc.ca/dspace/bitstream/10625/50475/1/IDL-50475.pdf